USA > Pennsylvania > The Pennsylvania-German in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 > Part 18
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expedition was fitted out, which, on Friday, October 2, 1778, started from Fort Defrance (a short distance south of the present town of Middleburg), and marched the first day to Mattises Grist Mill; thence, the second day, to Isaac Sawyer's, near the head of the West Branch of the Delaware River; thence to Wills' Mill (in the neigh- borhood of the present town of Delhi) ; thence, by two marches, crossed over to the Susquehanna River at Una- dilla, which Indian town they found evacuated.
For the remaining operations we quote from the letter of Capt. William Gray (4th Penn. ), dated Schoharie, Oc- tober 28, 1778:
" From thence [Unadilla] we Marched Down the River Susquehanna for Ononaughquaga the Chief Indian town [just above the present town of Windsor-Ed.] where we thought to Start a Party of Savages & torys By Surprise, but we Happened Unluckily to be Dis- covered by Some Scouting Savages who made the best of their way & as they knew the path Better than we Did & had Got the start So far we Could not Come up with them though our Scouting Party traveled all Night, to no purpose. We Got to Ononaughquaga on Thurs- day the 8th Ult. [Oct. 8th] About 10 o'Clock at Night which we found Evacuated, Also in Greatest Disorder, Everything Seemed as if they had iled in the Greatest Haste. Next Morning we set the town (which Con- sisted of About 30 or forty good Houses) in flames De- stroying therein Great Quantitys of Household Furniture & Indian Corn. After the Burning of the town two men of our party went out to Sarch for some Horses that were Lost, & not minding to take their Arms with them were fired on from a thicket by some Lurking Indians who wounded one of them (that is Since Dead of the
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wound) on which Col. Butler ordered Capt. Parr with a party of Rifel men to Go in Sarch of them but they Could not Come up with them though they Marched five or six miles Down the River Seting fier to a very Large Indian Council house on their Return. The same Day About 2 o'Clock we marched from Ononaughquaga up the River too another Town Called Cunahunta [about
near Bainbridge-Ed.], burning Some Indian Houses & Corn on the Road, from thence we Marched Next morn- ing Early Leaving it in flames, but that Night & the Day Raining so terrably that it Rendered Every small Run both Difficult & Dangerous in Crossing, but when we Came to the River below Unendilla it was Dreadful to sce so Large a stream to the Mens Breasts & very Rappid & Rising at the Rate of one Inch P Minet, but by the Pressing Desire of the men to Get over & the Deligence of the Officers with their owne & the Pack Horses they were all Got over Safe which if we had been but one houre Longer we Could not have Crossed & God only knows what would have been the Dreadfull consequences.
"We Marched that Evening up the East side of the River as far as the Scotch Settlement [mouth of
Si
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MASSACRE OF WYOMING, JULY, 1778.
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Ouleout Creek-Ed.] burning all as we went along that Could be of any use to the Enimy. We Could not March thence on Sunday by Reason of the Great Rains. On Munday we Marched, burning some Tory Houses before we Set out & Encamped in the wood that Night [along the Ouleout Creek-Ed. ]. Marched Early next morn- ing but when we Came to Delaware we Could not Cross it but was obliged to March up the N. W. Side of the River & the Pilot not knowing the Road & Night Coming on we lost our Road about five or six miles & had to March over two very Large Hills Before we Could Get to the River again. However the Party Got Home on Saturday the 16th Ult. [Oct. 16] in Good spirits After a march of Near 300 miles in Such Terrable Weather, Almost bairfooted & Naked, we suffered a good Deal for want of Bread as we had not any of that very useful Article for four Days. You Doubtless may see a more Particular Acct of this at Head Quarters but I have En- deavored to Give it as True as I Could. Present My Best Compliments to Capt. Scull & the Rest of the Party & Let them See this."
The second expedition was that of April, 1779, to Onondaga, in which a company of the Fourth Pennsyl- vania and a company of Morgan's Rifle Corps partici- pated. They left Fort Deliance on April 6 and proceeded to Fort Herkimer, where they joined Capt. Bleeker's company, from Col. Gansevort's regiment, Capt. Fow- ler's company, from Col. Livingstone's regiment, and Capt. Lane's company, from Col. Alden's regiment. In charge of Capt. Bleeker the whole party next marched to Fort Schuyler, where they were reinforced by three companies from Col. Van Schaick's regiment, who then took com- mand.
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Embarking in batteaux, with a high wind, they suc- ceeded in reaching, with difficulty, the Onondaga land- ing at the farther end of the lake, about 3 P. M., April 19.
The proceedings of April 21 are now given as narrated
by Lieut. Erkwries Beatty, of the Fourth Pennsylvania regiment, in his journal
"This morning set of about Day Break on the same line of march and went about 6 miles when we halted. Capt. Graham with his Compy, was sent forward as an advance party, then proceeded on to the Onondaga lake about 8 miles in length & 4 in Breadth, waded an arm of it about 4 foot deep and 200 yards wide and came to Onondaga creek, small but deep, had to cross
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it on a log. Capt. Graham's Co. Just as he had crossed this creek caught an Indian who was shooting Pidgeons & made him prisoner, And we got some Information from him, then proceeded on till we come within about one Mile of the Town when we Rec'd word from Capt. Graham that he had caught one Squaw and Killed one and had taken two or three Children and one White man, and one or two made their escape and alarmed the town. The Col. Immediately sent me forward to order him on as quick as possible and make as many prisoners as he could & he would support him with the main body. I overtook him at the first town and delivered my orders and he Immediately pushed on about two miles to the Next town where he made a small halt and took a great many prisoners. Soon after, Magor Cochran with Capt. Gray's Compy, came up and ordered me to stay with the prisoners, and their two Compys to push on to the next town about one mile forward, which they did and made more prisoners and killed some particularly a Negro who was their Dr. They then plundered the houses of the most valuable things and set fire to them and Re- turned to the middle Town where I was. Capt. Bleeker's Compy. had come up by this time and left the main body at their first town, we then collected all our prison- ers, plundered this town and sett fire to it then marched of to the main body which lay at the first town, we stayd there about 8 hours and killed some five horses and a Number of Hogs & plundered their houses and set fire to them and Marched of about 4 o'Clock in the same line of march as we came only the front changed and a Comp'y to guard the pris'rs, who was to march be- tween they two Columns. Marched on about 2 Miles from the town down the Onand'ga creek, when about 20
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Indians who Lay concealed on the opposite side of the Creek fird upon us, but the Rifle men soon Dispersed them killing one of them, we then march'd on and crossed the Onand'ga Creek in two places for fear the enemy should attack us but we met with no interruption, crossed the arm of the lake and encamped by the side of the lake about 8 miles from the town-We Killed about 15 took 34 Prisoners, burned about 30 or 40 Houses, took 2 stand of Coulors, and we had not one man Killed or wounded."
By April 29 the Pennsylvania detachments were back again safely at Fort Defiance, Schoharie.
The continued depredations of the Indians on the frontiers, however, demanded more aggressive action, on a larger scale, so the Commander-in-Chief ordered Gen. Sullivan to carry the war into the country of the Six Na- tions, there "to cut off their settlements, destroy their crops, and inflict upon them every other mischief which time and circumstances would permit." To that end Sullivan repaired to Easton, as his headquarters, there to organize his forces. The German Continental Regiment, the Eleventh (new Eleventh) Pennsylvania Continental Regiment, and Capt. Schott's company with Armand's Cavalry Corps, arrived in April, 1779. They were ac- companied by a detachment of Proctor's Artillery, and followed by various troops from New Jersey, New Hamp- shire, etc. Their tents were pitched along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, and up the Bushkill creek. Of these bodies the German regiment, and Schott's company with Armand's cavalry corps, were entirely Pennsylvania-Ger- man. Proctor's artillery contained many of the same descent, and the Eleventh Pennsylvania regiment a con- sidecable proportion.
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The troops, consisting of 2,500 men, with: 2,000 pack- horses and 120 boats, took up their line of march on the morning of June 18, 1779.
Their route lay by way of Fort Penn (present town of Stroudsburg), into the Great Swamp, which, with its thick trees and dense darkness, was appropriately named the "Shades of Death," and through which the wretched survivors of the Wyoming massacre had miserably toiled to their place of refuge at Fort Penn, its gateway.
On June 23, distant now only seven miles from Wyoming, they passed the spot where Capt. Davis and Lieut. Jones, with a corporal and four privates, were scalped, tomahawked and speared by the savages; two boards marked where the officers fell, the one at Lieut. Jones' grave being besmeared with his own blood. As the troops passed by Col. Proctor's musicians played an appropriate dirge to the tune of " Roslin Castle."
The next day they reached Wyoming where they met Col. Zebulon Butler, the hero of the past year, and one of the few survivors of the massacre. Being St. John's Day, a number of Free Masons met in the tent of Col. Proctor where the Rev. William Rogers, D.D., Chaplain of Gen. Hland's brigade, read a sermon to them.
From this time until the end of July the General was busily engaged in providing supplies for his troops and getting in readiness for a further advance. Constant reports were received of the inhuman acts perpetrated at various points by different parties of savages. One of an especially unfortunate character occurred on July 22, at a place called Lackawack, above the Minisink (near Stroudsburg), where a force of one hundred and forty militia, stationed on the Delaware, were drawn into
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an ambuscade, and some forty or fifty were killed or taken prisoners.
The following are the details of this sad episode :
Early in June, 1779, Captain Joseph Brant,' the half- breed Indian Chief, left the Susquehanna with some four hundred warriors to make an incursion into the Delaware valley. The settlers received due notice of this move- ment and threw out scouts to watch him. The wily In- dians, however, turned a short corner, struck for the upper Delaware, crossed near Mast Hope, at a place known as Grassy Brook, clambered over the mountains, and by forced marches reached the little town of Minisink, where the town of Port Jervis now stands. The inhabitants fled, and the place was sacked and destroyed. Flushed with success the invaders moved slowly up the Delaware with their plunder, on the York State side. In the mean- time the people of Orange County raised about one hundred and fifty men who started on the trail of the savages. On the night of July 21 the Indians encamped at the mouth of Beaver brook, whilst their pursuers lay four or five miles further down. On the fatal morning of the twenty-second both parties were early in motion. Brant had reached the ford at the mouth of the Lacka- waxen and a good part of the plunder was safe in Pike County. The whites held a short consultation at the Indian encampment, where the more prudent urged a
1 It is not generally known that Capt. Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea the Mohawk Indian) was a man of considerable culture and education. He was a religious man and a consistent Freemason, having been initiated at London, April 26, 1776. His certificate was signed by James Hesel- tine, Gr. Sec'y. He let no opportunity pass of saving the life or liberty of any Brother Mason if within his power. The case of the American Major Wood is a matter of history. In 1783, after the Revolution, Brant, with the loyal Mohawks, settled in Canada, where Capt. Joseph Brant built the first Protestant Church in either upper or lower Canada .- Julius F. Sachse.
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THAYENDANEGEA (JOSEPH BRANT) SAVING THE LIFE OF CAPT. JOHN MCKINSTREY, A BROTHER FREEMASON.
FROM A CONTEMPORARY FRENCH PRINT.
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return. All further deliberation, however, was cut short by a Captain Meeker, who boldly stepped to the front exclaiming, "Let brave men follow me," whereupon nearly the whole party once more started in pursuit. Two short miles brought them to the ford, where a large body of the enenty could be seen on the opposite shore. A few shots were fired and one Indian was seen to roll down the bank towards the river., About this time a heavy volley was fired into the whites from the high hills in the rear, which immediately awoke theni to a sense of their danger and the mistake they had made in leav- ing their only avenue of escape in the hands of the enemy. The officers in command ordered a rush to be made for the high ground. The Indians fell back, and chose their position; the pursued recrossed the river, and the brave but doomed band of patriotic whites were cut off from the water and surrounded by their merciless foes. During the whole of that day the battle raged. As night was closing in, some twenty or thirty, who survived, made a dash for the river, headed by Major Wood, who, through mistake, made the grand masonic hailing sign of distress as he approached the spot where Brant was stand ing. The Indian, true to his obligation, allowed the party to pass. They swam the river and made their es- cape into the wilds of Pike County. A few more escaped under cover of darkness, and the rest slept the sleep which knows no waking on this earth. In the year 1822 the bones of friend and foe alike were gathered together, transported to Goshen, in Orange County, where they were decently interred and a beautiful monument erected over them by a public-spirited citizen of the place.
At 1:00 P. M., on Saturday, July 31, the whole army began its march from Wyoming. Agrecable to general
THE WYOMING VALLEY, FROM PROSPECT ROCK. From an old print.
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orders, the light corps, in advance, were to march in three columns, which were arranged by Gen. Hand as follows: "Eleventh Pennsylvania regt. and Capt. Spald- ing's independent company advanced by platoons from the center of a line formed by them, and constituted a colunin to proceed on the main road. The German regi- ment and Capt. Schott's independent corps from the right of the said regiment, formed a column and marched on the right of the Eleventh, having their right flank covered by one third of the light infantry of the Eleventh and Schott's riflemen in Indian file. Two thirds of the light infantry of the Eleventh and Capt. Spalding's riflemen marched in Indian file on the left ilank, and answered the purpose of a third column; each column and flanking party had, proportioned to their strength respectively, a small party advanced in front, the same to be observed if possible until our arrival at Tioga."
. On Thursday, August 5, the light troops reached the remains of Wyalusing, a town inhabited by Moravian Indians, which had been destroyed partly by the Ameri- cans, partly by the Indians. Not a vestige of what had been a most flourishing settlement remained standing.
On Thursday, August 12, a large detachment, under command of Sullivan himself, left the encampment to surprise the Indians at Chemung, but, unfortunately, found the town abandoned. It was well-built and beauti- fully situated on the banks of the Tioga branch. The whole was immediately destroyed. At his own request Gen. Hand was allowed to proceed towards Newtown (the site of the present city of Elmira, N. Y.), on his promise to return to Tioga the next morning, while Gen. Sullivan, with the rest of the troops started back to camp.
Gen. Hand's corps had proceeded but a short distance
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when they reached a high hill on their right, and were given a very sharp volley by the Indians, who had there secreted themselves. A sergeant and some privates were killed, while Capt. Franklin, Adjutant Hinton and a few others were wounded. The Eleventh Pennsylvania at
once pushed rapidly up the hill, where the savages de- livered another volley and fled. The light troops pursued for some distance, intending to push on to Newtown, but Gen. Sullivan, arriving at that moment, thought it best for them to return and destroy the crops of the enemy. As Gen. Poor's brigade were destroying an upper field they were fired upon and lost one man killed, with two or three wounded. The total loss of the Eleventh Penn- sylvania was six killed and eight wounded; that of the main body, one killed and a few wounded.
On Saturday, August 14, the six killed, of Col. Hub- ley's Eleventh Pennsylvania, were solemly interred, the Rev. Dr. Rogers pronouncing a funeral oration.
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On Monday, August 16, nine hundred picked men, under command of Gens. Poor and Hand, marched off to meet the troops, and boats, under command of Gen. Clinton, who were ordered to proceed from Schoharie to reinforce Sullivan's army.
This force consisted of the Fourth Pennsylvania Regi- ment and Morgan's Riffe Corps, which left Schoharie on Friday, June 11, 1779, were joined, at Conojoharie, by Col. Gansevort's Regiment, also by Col. Dubois' Regi- ment, with two pieces of artillery, at Springfield, on the twenty-sixth, and, on the twenty-ninth, at the same place, by the "flying hospital." On Saturday, July 3, Col. Wisenfill's Regiment joined them at the lower end of the lake (Otsego). Gen. Clinton and staff arrived on July I, at which time he took command. On July 5, Col. Alden's Regiment came over with the last of the pro- visions and stores.
On Monday, August 9, the troops took up their line of march and reached the ruins of the Scotch Settlement, at the mouth of Ouleaut creek on the twelfth. On the fourteenth they arrived at the ruins of Ononaughquaga. Leaving that place on the seventeenth they came, on the same day, to the Tuscarora town of Shawhiaughto, which they destroyed, and, twelve miles further, to the town of Ingaren, which was also destroyed.
On Thursday, the nineteenth, Clinton's force fell in with that of Gen. Poor, and the combined bodies safely joined the main army, at the mouth of the Tioga, on Sunday, the twenty-second, where they were welcomed by Gen. Hand's brigade under arms, with the band of music and drums and fifes playing alternately, and saluted by thirteen pieces of cannon. The Fourth Pennsylvania
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and Morgan's Rifle Corps were then annexed to Hand's brigade.
Leaving Col. Shreve, with a garrison of two hundred and fifty men, at Wyoming, on Friday, the twenty-seventh, the army started on its final campaign. They found the enemy on Sunday, August 29, near Newtown (Elmira, N. Y.), strongly entrenched behind a breastwork of logs, dirt, brush, etc., their front protected by a large morass and brook. While Hand's brigade and the Rifle Corps kept up a brisk fire in front, Gens. Clinton and Poor were sent to turn their left flank and take a position in their rear. After the latter were gone for about half an hour, Gen. Hand advanced in line of battle, with the artillery in the center, and, by a heavy fire drove the enemy out of their entrenchments. As they retreated, in great disorder, they received a volley from Poor's brigade, which drove them around his right flank, by the river, which he had not yet had time to secure, whereby they made their escape. After pursuing them for some distance the army returned to its camp, with a loss of about forty killed and wounded. The loss of the enemy was very heavy, but could not be ascertained definitely. They consisted of about 400 Indians and 300 Tories, led by Col. John Butler, with Brant and other Indian chiefs under him.
On August 31, the army proceeded to Newtown, which they found to be a town of between twenty and thirty houses, well built but much scattered, which was destroyed.
Monday, Sepember 6, found the army at Kandaia, about one half mile from Cayuga Lake, where they suc- ceeded in retaking one of their men who had been cap-
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tured at Wyoming the previous summer. This town, and another on the lake, were likewise destroyed.
Proceeding along Lake Cayuga they destroyed Kana- dasago, the chief town of the Senecas, and a smaller place, called Kushay, on the seventh and eighth. On the tenth
Philip Schuyler of
they came to a small lake called " Kanandaqua," and destroyed the town of the same name. On the eleventh Hanyaye met the same fate, and, on the twelfth, another place about as large.
Monday, the thirteenth, found them at the town of Adjutse. Here a sad misfortune befell Lieut. Boyd, who,
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with a party of eighteen riflemen and eight musketmen from the Fourth Pennsylvania, had been sent out, the previous day, to reconnoitre the next town. They reached the place, without interruption, and found it evacuated. Hiding themselves, in the hope of securing some prisoners, they succeeded in killing and wounding several Indians, but, finding a larger number about than had been an- ticipated, the Lieutenant decided to rejoin the army. Falling in with some of the enemy he pursued them slowly, but, suddenly, found himself surrounded by a large force, which made prisoners of or killed the whole party save four or five who managed to escape.
A great abundance of supplies was destroyed on the fourteenth, when the troops crossed over a branch of the Genesee river and came to Genesee town, the largest they had yet seen. Here they found the bodies of Lieut. Boyd and a rifleman, most horribly mutilated, and buried them with the honors of war. Everything in sight was then destroyed, including crops of all descriptions as well as the town itself.
On the twentieth, a detachment, under Col. Smith, went up to Kushe, and a little above, to destroy the locality; another, consisting of some 500 or 600 men, under Col. Butler, was sent to Lake Cayuga to complete the destruction in that vicinity; and a detachment, under Col. Gansevort, went to Albany to bring on the officers' baggage.
On the twenty-first, Col. Deerborn was likewise sent to the Cayuga Lake on a mission of destruction, and re- turned, on the twenty-sixth, having destroyed five Indian towns and a great quantity of corn. On the twenty- eighth, Col. Butler returned from his errand and reported the destruction, on the east side of the lake, of three
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capital towns, a great number of scattering houses, and a vast amount of corn.
On Thursday, October 7, the army was once more at Wyoming, where, on the ninth, Gen. Sullivan set out for Easton, leaving Gen. Clinton in command.
Sunday, the tenth, saw the army on the move. They entered the Great Swamp on the twelfth, and arrived at Larnard's Tavern on the thirteenth, which the nar- rator, in his journal, is pleased to call "the beginning of the settlement of a Christian Country, which appeared to me very strange here." They arrived at Easton about 3 P. M., on Friday, October 15, after a most remarkable and successful campaign, during which the savages had been dealt a blow such as they had never experienced before, and from which they never recovered.
The German Regiment remained on duty along the frontiers. On June 20, 1780, it consisted of about 100 men, of whom 33 were posted at Fort Jenkins, 30 at Bosley's Mill, 24 at Fort Bunner, the residue at head- quarters at the town of Northumberland.
An interesting connection with the tale of Sullivan's Expedition is Fort Penn, at the present town of Strouds- burg, then in Northampton county, and especially so be- cause of its Pennsylvania German origin and garrison.
There is nothing on record to show when it was built, nor what was its appearance, but it probably came into ,existence during the earlier part of the war, and, doubt- less, was a stockade of ordinary character. Its command- ing officer was Col. Stroud, during its entire history, of the Sixth battalion of Northampton county militia.
It was to this place of refuge the miserable survivors of Wyoming fled, in 1778, and, as they emerged from
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